Thanks to the film “Julie and Julia”, beef bourguignon has never been so popular, especially in the summertime.  I’ll be the first to say that it’s pretty strange that there are hundreds of foodies cooking beef bourguignon in August.  Consider it just as out of place as Thanksgiving in June – though, like beef bourguignon, that would still be delicious.  I’d like to believe that the French are laughing at us, but it’s really hard to care when you have a refrigerator stocked with some of the finest leftovers to grace its shelves.  New foodie rule: Beef bouguignon is *absolutely* delicious, regardless of the time of year. 

I was able to find a copy of the Julia Child recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking  (now on the NY Times bestseller list).  While Child’s recipe took some time and effort, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected it to be. As Julie Powell did in the movie, I recommend making this the night before you plan to serve it.  The bourguignon was good the first night, but the flavors really develop after a day, so make sure to cook enough for leftovers. Also, I chose to serve my bourguignon over egg noodles, but you can substitute them for potatoes, rustic bread, or rice.

Bon appétit!‎

Beef Bourguignon
Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Serves 6 people

6 strips thick center cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced roughly 1/3 inch thick
1 sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, preferably Beaujolais, Burgundy, or Côtes du Rhône
2-3 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
18-24 white pearl onions, brown-braised in stock (see recipe below)
1 pound fresh button mushrooms, sautéed in butter (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a dutch oven or deep pan, sauté the bacon in the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Transfer bacon to a side dish.

2. Dry the beef in paper towels (this assists in browning the meat). In the same pan, sauté a few pieces of meat at a time, until nicely browned on all sides. Add the meat to the bacon.

3. In the same pan, add the sliced carrot and onions. Brown the vegetables, then add back the beef and bacon. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Sprinkle flour on the beef and toss to coat evenly. Place the uncovered casserole in the middle position of the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Remove the casserole from the heat, toss the meat once again, and return to the oven for an additional 4 minutes. This will brown the flour and cover the meat with a light crust. Remove the casserole from the oven, and reduce heat to 325 degrees.

5. Add the wine to the casserole, and enough beef stock to barely cover the meat. Add the tomato paste, crushed garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring the casserole to a simmer on the stovetop. Then cover, and place in the lower third of the preheated oven. Let cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking each hour to ensure there is enough liquid. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

6. While the meat is cooking, prepare the pearl onions and mushrooms (see recipes below).

7. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve placed over a saucepan. Return the beef, bacon, and vegetables to the casserole dish. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms.

8. Simmer the liquid in the saucepan. The sauce should coat a spoon lightly. If it is took thick, add some stock to thin it out. If the sauce is too thin, bring the sauce to a rapid boil. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

9. Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve over noodles, potatoes, or rice and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Braised Pearl Onions:
18-24 peeled white pearl onions about 1-inch in diameter (fresh preferred, frozen works)
1 ½ Tablespoons butter
1 ½ Tablespoons oil
½ cup of brown stock or red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme tied with cooking twine

1. Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, add the onions and saute over for about 10 minute, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins; you cannot expect to brown uniformly.

2. Add the liquid (either wine or stock), season to taste, and add herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for roughly 30-40 minutes, until the onions are perfectly tender, but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove and discard the herb bouquet.

Sautéed Mushrooms:
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skill over high heat. Once the butter’s foam subsides, add mushrooms.

2. Toss mushrooms for 5 minutes, until they absorb the butter and oil. Continue to sauté for 3 minutes until the mushrooms release their fat. Remove from the heat when the mushrooms turn light brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A friend and fellow blogger inspired me to start cooking with quinoa, a fluffy, mild and nutty grain. I’ve had an unopened box of this healthy grain in my pantry for the last 6 months, but always seemed to reach for the familiar scoop of rice or box of pasta. It was definitely time to expand my culinary repertoire in this area. 

On Epicurious.com, I found a recipe for beef tenderloin, served with a roasted garlic sauce and a leek & yellow tomato quinoa. While beef tenderloin is fairly simple to grill, I was more interested in the different options to serve alongside it. With an impressive Epicurious rating of 4 forks (based on 24 reviews), I was easily convinced to give the recipe a shot. 

The leek & yellow tomato quinoa had a very clean and fresh taste, working well with the beef tenderloin and rich garlic sauce.  The flavor of the leeks was very soft and subtle, and the yellow tomatoes provided a nice golden color.  All this being said,  I was hoping for a little more flavor.  I’ve adapted the recipe below to better balance out the ingredients.  I think increasing the proportion of tomatoes, leeks, and basil, boosts the overall flavor.  I’d like to keep trying more recipes with quinoa, because it seems like it has a lot of potential in various types of menus.

Beef tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat, and I usually like to keep it very simple with nothing more than salt and pepper.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with the roasted garlic sauce served alongside the beef tenderloin.  I’ll admit, it took me a few bites before I was willing to dip into the garlic sauce, but I’m certainly glad I did.  The sauce had a very creamy texture, most likely from the garlic heads simmering in the milk.  Also, note that instead of serving one large tenderloin in slices, I served individual tenderloins, roughly 1/3 pound each.  There’s something to be said about effortlessly cutting through a nice filet (no steak knives needed!)

Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe, published September 2003
Serves 4

Sauce:
2 large heads of garlic, keep skin on but cut off the top third of the bunch
2 cups milk, preferably 2% or whole milk
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth 
Salt & pepper to taste 

Beef Tenderloin:
4  1/3 pound pieces beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparing the Sauce
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  In a small saucepan, add milk and garlic.  Make sure that garlic is sitting cut side up, and that the milk is high enough to coat the top of the cloves.   Over medium heat, simmer for about 12-15 minutes, uncovered. 

2.  Remove the cloves from the milk, and transfer to a small oven-proof baking dish.  Pour olive oil over the garlic heads and cover the top of the dish with foil.  Bake in the oven for about an hour.

3.  Once garlic is soft, remove from the oil and let cool.  Pour the oil from the baking dish into a blender, along with chicken broth.  Squeeze out garlic cloves from their peels, and blend well with the oil and broth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  This sauce is best served warm, so if needed, reheat over the stove in a small saucepan.

Grilling the Tenderloin
1.  Prepare barbeque, heating it to medium.  Coat tenderloin with olive oil, salt, and pepper.   Make sure to give the beef some time to sit outside of the refrigerator.  The chill can cause the beef to tighten upon hitting the grill.

2. Grill to desired doneness – approximately 5-7 minutes per side for medium rare.

Leek & Yellow Tomato Quinoa
Adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe, published September 2003
Serves 4

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups finely chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
1/4 chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium-sized yellow tomatoes, chopped & seeded
3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Using a strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold running water until water runs clear.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa, water and salt. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. This should take about 12-15 minutes. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet, then add leeks and sauté until they begin to soften. Add chicken broth, quinoa, and oil. Stir until well combined. Lastly, add tomatoes, green onions, basil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

After living in Paris for a short time, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “So, how was the food?”  This is often asked rhetorically, as it is a well known fact that the French know how to eat very well.  Indeed, my meals in France were delicious – rich, hearty, and thoughtfully prepared.  And the truth is, while I miss the flavorful beef bourguignon, the slow-cooked cassoulets, or even the streetside crepes, what I consistently long for and crave, is le Croque Monsieur sandwich.

Yes, I’ve heard it before: “It’s just a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich, right?” Well, not quite. What makes this sandwich so special is the béchamel sauce, which consists of a flour-butter roux, hot milk, nutmeg, and cheese.  The sauce is poured over the toasted sandwich, then topped with grated Gruyere cheese.  Then the magic happens - the sandwich bakes for 5 minutes, during which the sauce soaks into the top layer of bread, creating an undescribable texture that is creamy and satisfying.

I used Ina Garten’s recipe as my guide for the béchamel sauce and cooking method.  I modified her recipe to serve 4 people (one sandwich per person). Also, her recipe suggests taking the crust off of the bread, but it’s perfectly fine to leave the crust on.  And, save your fancy bread for another dish – cheap, grocery store white bread makes a surprisingly authentic croque monsieur.

Take the recipe’s measurements lightly; the amount of cheese, ham, and mustard to use can be based on your preference.  However, it’s best to stick to the recipe for the béchamel sauce. If you find that the sauce isn’t thick enough after stirring in the hot milk for a few minutes, a little more flour can always be added.  To avoid clumping, make sure to mix the flour into some melted butter, then add and stir into your sauce.  Remember that the sauce will thicken once it’s removed from the heat.

To go along with my French café theme, I served my croque monsieur with cornichon (tiny gherkins) and Dijon mustard.  For my fellow Francophiles, consider enjoying this sandwich with a glass of kir or champagne. 
 
Croque Monsieur
Adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe in her book Barefoot in Paris

Makes 4 sandwiches

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
3 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
8 slices white sandwich bread
Dijon mustard
1/2 lb Black Forest ham, sliced

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Once melted, add all of the flour and immediately stir with a wooden spoon.  After 2 minutes, the butter and flour will form a paste-like consistency. 

3.  Microwave the cup of milk for about 1 -2 minutes, or until bubbly.  Add the milk to the flour and butter mixture.  Whisk until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/4 cup Gruyere, and all of the Parmesan. 

4.  Lay the bread slices flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 5 minutes on one side, then turn each slice and bake for 2 minutes.  Remove cookie sheet from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

5.  Spread mustard on half of the bread slices.  Add ham and half of the leftover Gruyere.  Add the sandwich top and pour the cheese sauce over the sandwiches.  Sprinkle the last of the Gruyere and bake for 5 minutes.  Then, broil the sandwiches for 3 minutes, or until the cheese on top turns a light golden color.  Serve hot.